Machine for feeding and cutting adhesive tape



MACHINE FOR FEEDING AND CUTTING ADHESIVE TAPE Filed April 28, 1965 K. G.STROM 2 Sheets-$heet 1 vm mm Jam .53 E. 6 2 510 Jon TEE PF 0: 6303INVENTOR.

/ i/ffizwuz- 3,283,631 MACHINE FOR FEED ING AND CUTTING ADHESIVE TAPEFiled April 28, 1965 K- G. STROM Nov. 8, 1966 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 FIG. 2

5 INVENTOR. 7 W)? *i Q/ United States Patent 3,283,631 MACHINE FORFEEDING AND CUTTING ADHESIVE TAPE Kenneth G. Strorn, Saugus, Mass,assignor to Prime Manufacturing Company, Lynn, Mass., a corporation ofMassachusetts Filed Apr. 28, 1965, Ser. No. 451,425 6 Ciairns. (Cl.83-211) This invention comprises a new and improved machine for cuttingpatches or wafers from a strip of adhesive tape and applying them to thesurface of an insole or last.

In order to obviate the insole tacking operation which is objectionablefor well known reasons, a successful system has been developed which ischaracterized by the employment of fiat patches or wafers folded fromsheet material in two-ply formation and having an exterior coating ofpressure-sensitive adhesive. The interior surfaces of the patches arenot coated but may slip freely on themselves by rolling action when theconnection is to be released as in pulling the last.

The machine of the present invention is supplied from a coil of foldedtape of this kind and has feeding mecha nism acting intermittently toadvance the tape to cutting position where an end section is severed andimmediately applied as a patch or wafer to the insole or last bottom. Atthe cutting station a knife is provided which is controlled in itsaction by a trigger arranged to be tripped by contact with the workpresented to the machine. The operation of the feeding mechanism istimed by the action of the knife so that the tape is advanced after eachcutting operation to supply the place of the severed patch.

The tape itself may be formed of any satisfactory sheet material such ascotton fabric, osnaberg, or paper. In practice this is coated on oneside and then folded in such fashion that its entire exterior surfacepresents a pressure-sensitive adhesive coating. This tape is coiled witha release liner which may remain with the tape and with the severedpatches thereof until removed before the insole and last bottom arebrought into contact.

The two-ply or tubular wafer has the advantage of maintaining a secureadhesive bond between the last bottom and insole during the shoemakingoperations which require that connection, while at the same time,permitting the bond to be readily broken by sliding action between theattached parts, as in pulling the last from the finished shoe.

The invention comprises a machine capable of automatically feedingstep-by-step a tubular adhesive tape in a cleanly and reliable manner toa discharge or delivery station where a wafer of predetermineddimensions is caused to be severed by presentation of the work to themachine in which a conveniently located trigger is tripped.

These and other features of the invention will be best understood andappreciated from the following description of a preferred embodimentthereof selected for purposes of illustration and shown in theaccompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a view in elevation of the machine,

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary view as seen from the plane 22 of FIG. 1,

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary view as shown from the plane 3-3 of FIG. 1,

FIG. 4 is a sectional view on an enlarged scale of the feedingmechanism, and

FIG. 5 is a plan view of an insole with adhesive patches appliedthereto.

The machine in its illustrated form comprises an upright back plate 20upon which all the elements of the 3,283,531 Patented Nov. 8, 1 966machine are mounted with the exception of a wire guide eye 21 by whichthe tape is directed to an obliquely mounted entering guide roll 22 ofthe machine. This is mounted upon a bracket 23 secured to the plate anddisposed at an angle as shown in FIG. 2 so as to fold over one edge ofthe release liner 13 as the tape 12 is drawn through a guide plate 24.This guide plate is mounted on a bracket secured to the back plate 20and stands in close proximity to the inclined roll 22. The tape 12 isfed toward the left as seen in FIG. 1 over a guide roll 25 .and beneatha hold-down roll 26 of smaller diameter as shown in FIG. 3. These rollscontrol and flatten the tape as it is advanced to a second guide roll 27associated with a hold-down roll 28 of smaller diameter.

Upon leaving the second set of guide rolls the tape is engaged between asupporting roll 29 and a feeding roll 34. The supporting roll 29 isadjustably mounted in an arm 30 pivotally secured to the back plate 20and yieldingly supported by a spring 31 adjustable by a screw 31' sothat the feeding pressure upon the tape may be regulated. The supportingroll 29 is flanged as shown in FIG. 4 and an arm or bar 32 of Teflon orother smooth resinous material is located between the flanges of theroll in position to support the intermediate zone of the tape while itis engaged on both edges by the flanges of the roll 29. Upon leaving thefeed rolls the tape is advanced over a stationary cutting block 33 intoline with a reciprocating knife which will be described hereinafter.

The driven feed roll 34 is fast upon a shaft 35 carrying at its outerend a washer 36 and spring 37 which engages a gear 38 loose on the shaft35. The hub 39 of the gear 38 is formed as one member of a ratchetclutch of which the other member is formed on the hub of the feed roll34. The shaft 35 is journaled in a block 20' secured to the back plate20 and containing friction plugs 34' which prevent reverse movement ofthe feed roll between its feeding steps.

The gear 38 meshes through intermediate gears 40 and 41- with a rack 42which is part of a frame 43 mounted to reciprocate in ways 44 on theback plate 20. A compression spring 45 surrounds a rod connected to theframe and tends to hold it initially in elevated position. The frame isconnected through a rod 48 to the core 49 of a solenoid 50 permanentlymounted above the back plate 20. The solenoid 50 is in circuit with aswitch 64. When the switch is operated to actuate the solenoid 50 theframe 43 with the rack 42 is moved downwardly and the feed roll 34 isrotated to advance the tape toward the left in a feeding step ofpredetermined adjustable extent. In the up-stroke of the rack the gear38 clicks idly over the ratchet teeth of the clutch while the feed roll34 remains at rest under pressure of the friction plugs 34.

In FIG. 1 the solenoid 50 is represented as being energized so that therack 42 occupies its lowermost position and the feeding operation hasadvanced the end of the tape 12 to cutting off position. The machine isthus organized and poised for severing an adhesive wafer from the tape.The downward stroke of the rack 42 is limited by the engagement of itsframe with a fixed stop 46 secured to the back plate 20. The upwardmovement of the rack and its initial position prior to the feeding stepis adjustably governed by an angle gauge 52 secured to the ways 44. Thelength of the feeding step is of course determined by the setting of thegauge 52.

The knife 19 is carried in a frame 53 arranged to reciprocate in ways 54secured to the back plate and carrying a cross bar 55 to which isattached a rod 56 carrying a compression spring tending at all times tomaintain the knife in its elevated initial position. To the frame isalso connected a second rod 57 extending upwardly in con- 3 tact withthe core 58 of a second solenoid 59. The up- Ward movement of the core58 is limited by an overhead stop 60 with which the core is shown asengaged in FIG. 1. The initial position of the knife is adjustablydetermined by the setting of the angle gauge stop 63 which is secured bythe ways 44.

The knife 19 is reciprocated in shearing relation with the stationarymetal shear block 33 which is slightly under cut or backed off in itsouter face to facilitate clean cutting of the tacky tape. The Teflonguide bar or arm 32 extends from the bite of the feed roll 29 to theshear block 33 and supplies a substantially frictionless support for thetape as it is advanced to the severing station.

A trigger in the form of a rod 61 or finger is slidably secured to theways 54 and normally stands with its lower end in free space Where itmay be conveniently contacted and lifted by an insole 10 or otherworkpiece as shown in FIG. 1. The trigger is arranged when lifted toclose a switch 62 which is in circuit with the knife solenoid 59.Accordingly, when the trigger is lifted the solenoid 59 is energiezd andthe knife makes one complete reciprocation.

The second switch 64 is fast upon the face of the back plate 20 inposition to be closed by the upward movement of the knife frame 53. Whenthis occurs the solenoid 50 is energized and the feeding mechanismperforms its function as above explained.

Thus the machine comes to rest with the unsevered end of the tapeadvanced to cuttingcff position in readiness for a new cycle ofoperations.

The invention has been herein disclosed inits application to theshoemaking industry and in FIG. 5 is shown an insole to which threeadhesive Wafers 11 have been applied. When the tape carries a releaseliner 13 a section of this will remain on the wafer until removed by theoperator, as suggested in FIG. 5, just prior to attaching the insole tothe last bottom.

It will be understood that the machine herein disclosed has a Wide rangeof different uses. For example, the wafers may be applied to the lastbottom rather than the surface of the insole, and in general the machinemay be used for temporarily attaching any two material articles to eachother Where it is desired that they may be subsequently released Withoutdamage to either article.

Having thus disclosed my invention What I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent is:

1. A machine for feeding and cutting patches from a tubularadhesive-coated tape, comprising an upright plate having a verticallyreciprocable rack and a knife slide mounted side by side in spacedrelation thereon, means for guiding tape in a path below said rack andslide, a switch-controlled solenoid for operating the knife slide,

a separate solenoid for operating the rack, tape feeding means actuatedby said rack, and a switch in circuit with the rack-operating solenoidand arranged to be tripped by the knife slide on its return to initialposition after making a tape cutting stroke whereby the unservered endof the tape is advanced to cutting-off position when the machine comesto rest.

2. A machine for feeding and cutting an adhesive tape, comprisingcooperating feed rolls flanged to engage marginal zones of the tapeunder feeding pressure, and a bar of low friction composition mountedbetween the flanges of the feed rolls for contact with an intermediatezone of the tape.

3. A machine for feeding and cutting an adhesive tape including in itsorganization cooperating feed rolls flanged to engage marginal zones ofthe tape under feeding pressure, a bar of Teflon mounted between theflanges of the feed rolls and extending outwardly from the bite of therolls, and a metal shear block contiguous to the outer end of the Teflonbar.

4. A machine for feeding and cutting an adhesive tape as described inclaim 3, further characterized in that the feed rolls are mounted forrelative adjustment in the direction of feed and also for relativeyielding adjustment in a direction at right angles to the direction offeed.

5. A machine for feeding and cutting an adhesive tape as described inclaim 3, further characterized in that means are provided for relativeadjustment of the feed rolls both in the direction of feed and at rightangles thereto, and meansare also provided for adjusting the length ofeach feeding step imparted to the tape by the feed rolls.

6. A machine for feeding and cutting multi-ply adhesive tape, comprisinga feed roll flanged to engage the strip in marginal zones, a bar oflow-friction resin arranged to support an intermediate zone of the tapebetween the flanges of the feed roll and extending forwardly beyond thebite of the feed roll, and a stationary cutting element locatedcontiguous to the outer end of said low friction bar.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,465,453 3/1949Holbrook 83-575 X 2,589,347 3/1952 Demerath 83-577 X 2,734,571 2/1956Martell 83-210 2,898,995 8/1959 Funnel 83-210 3,122,955 3/ 1964 Eisenman83-922 X 3,165,957 1/1965 Kaplan 83-436 X WILLIAM W. DYER, JR., PrimaryExaminer. J. M. MEISTER, Assistant Examiner.

1. A MACHINE FOR FEEDING AND CUTTING PATCHES FROM A TUBULARADHESIVE-COATED TAPE, COMPRISING AN UPRIGHT PLATE HAVING A VERTICALLYRECIPROCABLE RACK AND A KNIFE SLIDE MOUNTED SIDE BY SIDE IN SPACEDRELATION THEREON, MEANS FOR GUIDING TAPE IN A PATH BELOW SAID RACK ANDSLIDE, A SWITCH-CONTROLLED SOLENOID FOR OPERATING THE KNIFE SLIDE, ASEPARATE SOLENOID FOR OPERATING THE KNIFE SLIDE MEANS ACTUATED BY SAIDRACK, AND A SWITCH IN CIRCUIT WITH THE RACK OPERATING SOLENOID ANDARRANGED TO BE TRIPPED BY THE KNIFE SIDE ON ITS RETURN TO INITIALPOSITION AFTER MAKING A TAPE CUTTING STROKE WHEREBY THE UNSERVED END OFTHE TAPE IS ADVANCED TO CUTTING-OFF POSITION WHEN THE MACHINE COMES TOREST.